Published on: September 4, 2026
Amsterdam: 04 September 2026: Chuck Studios, the global food and drink advertising and Culinary Identity specialists, today announces the appointment of Ritu Nakra as its first Chief Client Officer, APAC, to lead the studio’s growth and client development across the region.
Ritu brings 28 years of experience across the WPP network, including 24 years at J. Walter Thompson, where she held senior leadership roles and worked with some of the group’s major food and beverage clients. Most recently, she spent four years leading Landor, WPP’s brand and design agency, in Delhi. Her career spans brand strategy, creative production and client leadership, and she brings a strong network of relationships across India and the wider APAC region.
In the new role, Ritu will lead Chuck Studios’ expansion across APAC, building on the studio’s existing work with brands including Lay’s and Doritos in the region. She will focus on deepening relationships with regional marketers and brands, while bringing Chuck Studios’ specialist expertise in F&B branding through their unique Culinary Identity offering and production capabilities to more clients across the market.
The appointment comes as food and beverage brands increasingly look beyond traditional advertising to build distinctive identity, branded experiences, and cultural relevance around food and consumption. Chuck Studios’ global capabilities, paired with Ritu’s client relationships and category experience, position the studio to capture this shift in APAC.
“What excites me about Chuck Studios is the combination of visual storytelling craft and dynamic brand identity work,” said Ritu Nakra. “As Asians we recognise the cultural power of food. All our social engagements happen over a beverage or a meal. Our family dialogue is on the dining table or over the lunch box. The opportunity is to turn that into distinctive brand value. My goal is to enable world-class food storytelling that reflects the ambition, shifting taste and expanding culinary curiosity of this market.”
Robert Volten, Managing Partner, Chuck Studios, says: “With Ritu, we welcome decades of on-the-ground experience in India and the wider region, one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. Having worked across APAC myself, I know the importance of local and cultural understanding in Asia.We have every confidence that Ritu will bring that understanding to Chuck Studios, strengthening our ability to operate effectively in the region and build the right relationships, teams and opportunities for long-term growth.”
Olaf van Gerwen, Founder and Global Creative Director at Chuck Studios, added: “When we first met Ritu on a project, we immediately thought: what if we could somehow get her to come and work with us? It’s been a little while in the making, but now we’re ready to go. APAC is still largely uncharted territory for us, and that’s exactly what makes it so exciting. It’s one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, fits perfectly with our global ambitions, and marks a big step in our global expansion. We can’t wait to take on the creative challenges of the region with Ritu.”
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